Penn State Basketball: Dwayne Anderson Set For Departure As He Heads To Alma Mater

Penn State basketball assistant Dwayne Anderson will leave the program to join Villanova hoops as its Director of Operations. Neither program has officially announced the initial reports, although Anderson confirmed the move on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.

Anderson returns to his alma mater where he played on the 2008-09 Final Four team under current coach Jay Wright after recovering from a fractured ankle during his senior season.

For Penn State the loss hurts the program on multiple levels. In terms of tangible accomplishments, Anderson along with assistant and recurring head Keith Urgo had a hand in plenty of key recruiting moments over the past four years after joining the staff in 2013.

Historically, one would be hard pressed to find an assistant coach that has made a greater impact for Penn State basketball than Anderson.

In terms of staff composition, Anderson's connection to Philadelphia as both a basketball player and status as a minority coach brought with it an undeniable amount of street credibility that will not be easily replaced.

The departure has not be an unexpected one for Penn State though. Just last week the university listed an assistant coaching position on its jobs page knowing that the position would be open "soon" according to a source.

While the move is -- in terms of flow charts -- a demotion, both Anderson and his wife are Villanova alums, parenting two small children. The position will almost certainly result in far less travel, and more time at home for the four of them.

Head coach Pat Chambers is currently in New York for the first of three stops on the Coaches Caravan that will make appearances in Philadelphia as well as Washington DC in the coming days.

Where Chambers draws his next hire from is unknown, but he might be well served to find someone with a connection to any of those three cities.

As Penn State kicks off its annual, but now largely abbreviated Coaches Caravan tour this week the question remains the same.

What's the point this year?

To be clear the larger purpose is somewhat self-explanatory. It's a fundraiser. These events don't happen simply so James Franklin and his fellow coaches can hang out while driving around the east coast on a bus. Maybe a bit, but it's not a "just